The Mutual Admiration Society : how Dorothy L. Sayers and her Oxford circle remade the world for women

A group biography of renowned crime novelist Dorothy L. Sayers and the Oxford women who stood at the vanguard of equal rights Dorothy L. Sayers is now famous for her Lord Peter Wimsey and Harriet Vane detective series, but she was equally well known during her life for an essay asking "Are Women Human?" Women's rights were expanding rapidly during Sayers's lifetime; she and her friends were some of the first women to receive degrees from Oxford. Yet, as historian Mo Moulton reveals, it was clear from the many professional and personal obstacles they faced that society was not ready to concede that women were indeed fully human. Dubbing themselves the Mutual Admiration Society, Sayers and her classmates remained lifelong friends and collaborators as they fought for a truly democratic culture that acknowledged their equal humanity. A celebration of feminism and female friendship, The Mutual Admiration Society offers crucial insight into Dorothy L. Sayers and her world. Dorothy L. Sayers (1893-1957) Was A Renowned Crime Novelist Who Achieved Fame And Fortune During A Period That Historian Mo Moulton Calls 'the Day After The Revolution.' In A Time When Just As Many Doors Were Closed To Women As Open, Sayers Found Professional Success With Her Lord Peter Wimsey Novels. Yet She Never Could Have Done It Without The Cohort Of Remarkable Women She Met At University -- All Of Whom Would Go On To Challenge Societal Norms And Fight For Equality Of Opportunity In Their Own Way. In 1912, Dorothy L. Sayers And Five Friends Founded A Writing Group At Somerville College, Oxford; They Called Themselves The 'mutual Admiration Society.' Smart, Bold, Serious, And Funny, These Women Were Also Sheltered And Chaperoned, Barred From Receiving Degrees Despite Taking Classes And Passing Exams. But Within A Few Short Years, World War I Rapidly Expanded The Rights And Opportunities Available To Women, Including The Right To Vote (1918) And Access To The Professions (1919). In October 1920, Members Of The Mas Returned To Oxford To Receive Full Degrees. Mutual Admiration Society Follows These Six Women As They Navigate The Complexities Of Adulthood, Work, Intimacy, And Sex In Interwar England. Bringing These Women To Vivid Life, Moulton Reveals How Dorothy L. Sayers Was Intimately Intertwined With The Members Of The Mas -- And How, Together, They Fought Their Way Into Modernity-- Arriving At Oxford -- Mutual Admiration Society On Stage And Page -- University Passions -- Battle Fronts -- Teach Or Marry? -- Detection And Despair -- Professional Motherhood -- Sleepless Nights -- Departures And Reunions -- Subversive Spinster -- The Problem Of Marriage -- Does It Please You? -- What The Busman Wrought -- War Breaks Out -- Service And Identity -- The Greengate Hospital -- Running To Stand Still -- Bridgeheads To The Future -- Friendship And Triumphs -- Legacies. Mo Moulton. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. "Dorothy L. Sayers (1893-1957) was a renowned crime novelist who achieved fame and fortune during a period that historian Mo Moulton calls 'the day after the revolution.' In a time when just as many doors were closed to women as open, Sayers found professional success with her Lord Peter Wimsey novels. Yet she never could have done it without the cohort of remarkable women she met at university -- all of whom would go on to challenge societal norms and fight for equality of opportunity in their own way. In 1912, Dorothy L. Sayers and five friends founded a writing group at Somerville College, Oxford; they called themselves the 'Mutual Admiration Society.' Smart, bold, serious, and funny, these women were also sheltered and chaperoned, barred from receiving degrees despite taking classes and passing exams. But within a few short years, World War I rapidly expanded the rights and opportunities available to women, including the right to vote (1918) and access to the professions (1919). In October 1920, members of the MAS returned to Oxford to receive full degrees. Mutual Admiration Society follows these six women as they navigate the complexities of adulthood, work, intimacy, and sex in Interwar England. Bringing these women to vivid life, Moulton reveals how Dorothy L. Sayers was intimately intertwined with the members of the MAS -- and how, together, they fought their way into modernity"-- Provided by publisher A group biography of renowned crime novelist Dorothy L. Sayers and the Oxford women who stood at the vanguard of equal rights Dorothy L. Sayers is now famous for her Lord Peter Wimsey and Harriet Vane detective series, but she was equally well known during her life for an essay asking "Are Women Human?" Women's rights were expanding rapidly during Sayers's lifetime; she and her friends were some of the first women to receive degrees from Oxford. Yet, as historian Mo Moulton reveals, it was clear from the many professional and personal obstacles they faced that society was not ready to concede that women were indeed fully human. Dubbing themselves the Mutual Admiration Society, Sayers and her classmates remained lifelong friends and collaborators as they fought for a truly democratic culture that acknowledged the equal humanity of the fairer sex. A celebration of feminism and female friendship, The Mutual Admiration Society offers crucial insight into Dorothy... In Mutual Admiration Society Royal Historical Society fellow Mo Moulton relates the remarkable friendship of renowned crime novelist Dorothy L. Sayers and five other women at the vanguard of equal rights, who were among the first to receive full degrees from Oxford University.